Rod Blum

Career

Blum attended Loras College where he earned a degree in finance, and the University of Dubuque where he earned a master’s degree in business administration. A businessman, Blum is a former CEO of Eagle Point Software (1990–2000) and owner of Digital Canal, a software company, since 2000.

Elections

After winning the Republican primary in June 2014, Blum defeated Democrat Pat Murphy with 51% of the vote in the November 4, 2014, general election. This was considered a surprise Republican victory, as the seat had a D+5 Cook PVI Score. Blum succeeded Democrat Bruce Braley, who vacated his U.S. House seat to run unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate.

Blum ran for re-election in 2016. He was unopposed in the Republican primary. He faced Democrat Monica Vernon in the general election. Blum defeated Vernon with 54% of the vote.

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Political stances

Blum describes himself as a "Tea Party Republican," and has said that "the Tea Party is what the Republican Party should have always been."

As of February 26, 2017, Blum has voted with his party in 93.9% of votes in the 115th United States Congress and voted in line with President Trump's position in 100% of the votes.

Abortion and family planning

Blum opposes abortion. He has voted to defund Planned Parenthood. He supported creating a select committee to investigate Planned Parenthood for allegedly selling fetal tissue.

Budget

Blum favors a "a constitutional amendment to balance the budget and limit spending."

Congress

Blum cast his first vote in Congress against John Boehner's speakership, saying, "I was elected by Iowans to stand up to the status quo in Washington, D.C., and I refuse to turn my back on them with my first vote... With congressional approval ratings at historic lows, it's time for our elected officials to listen to the people and rethink business as usual so we can move our country forward together."

According to USA Today, Blum has "made it his central focus to change the way Congress treats itself by supporting efforts to strip away the trappings of elective office." Blum and Democrat Beto O'Rourke started the Congressional Term Limits Caucus. He co-sponsored legislation to end lawmakers' access to first class travel and luxury car leases, he supports ending the congressional pension system, and he has introduced a bill to institute a lifetime ban on lawmakers ever becoming lobbyists.

District of Columbia

In March 2016, in light of a $2 billion redevelopment of D.C.’s Southwest waterfront, Blum said that Washington D.C. "needs a recession."

Donald Trump

In July 2015, Blum said that then-candidate Donald Trump's rhetoric "gives people that sense of pride again".

In February 2017, he voted against a resolution that would have directed the House to request 10 years of Trump's tax returns, which would then have been reviewed by the House Ways and Means Committee in a closed session.

Blum supported Donald Trump's May 10, 2017, firing of FBI Director James Comey, saying "it's probably time for Comey to go." The FBI was at the time conducting a criminal probe into possible ties between Trump associates and Russia.

Environment

Blum has described himself as "skeptical" of the view of ninety-seven percent of climate scientists and most of the leading scientific organizations worldwide that human activities are a primary contributor to climate change. Blum asserted that the scientific community used to support the conjecture of global cooling. He has said, "most scientists’ paychecks come from the federal government, and so right away that makes me a bit skeptical." Blum opposes federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions.

He has a 3% score by the League of Conservation Voters.

Government shutdown

In 2015, Blum voted against legislation that would have averted a government shutdown. Discussing the government shutdown, Blum said, "I think the Founding Fathers are smiling right now for the first time in a long time".

Healthcare

Blum favors "fully repealing" the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). In 2017, Blum did not support the initial version of the American Health Care Act of 2017, the GOP's bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, saying that it "doesn't do enough to lower premiums for hardworking Americans".

On May 4, 2017, Blum voted to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and pass the revised version of the American Health Care Act. Blum stated that the bill had been improved to his liking. He described the bill as "Trumpcare" but also as "Obamacare 2.0" because "We've probably changed 10, 20 percent of the bill is all". Blum asserted that "AHCA will stabilize the market, lower premiums for Iowans, increase choices, reduce taxes, and protect people who have pre-existing conditions."

Asked why he voted for the legislation before the impact of the bill had been assessed by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, Blum stated that that there was an urgent need for a fix to Obamacare. Asked about protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions, Blum stated that the bill would retain those protections when in fact the legislation would allow insurers to charge higher premiums to individuals with pre-existing conditions.

During his town halls in May of 2017, Blum falsely claimed that if the current version of AHCA became law that coverage would not change for those on Medicaid. He told also his constituents, "If you're getting your insurance through the group health care marketplace — your employer — nothing changes." This was found to be false when fact checked.

LGBT rights

In 2004, Blum favored a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. In 2013, he said that same-sex marriage should be determined by states. He has voted in favor of provisions which would allow federal contractors to discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation.

Minimum wage

Blum opposes a mandatory increase in the federal minimum wage.

Immigration

Blum supported President Donald Trump's first 2017 executive order, which was struck down by the courts. The order temporarily curtailed immigration from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen until better screening methods are devised. Blum stated that ” … The bottom line is they can’t properly vet people coming from war-torn areas like Syria and Iraq. If we can't vet people properly, then we shouldn’t be allowing them into our country. I'm supportive of that.”

Blum supported the version of the executive order that was struck down by the courts for violating the establishment clause and favoring one religion over another by offering special immigration status to those of minority religions.

Term limits for congressmen

Blum supports a constitutional amendment to enforce term limits for congressmen. When asked how many terms he was going to seek in an April 2015 interview, Blum responded, "I'm not going to term limit myself. I definitely believe in term limits, but I don't believe in unilaterally disarming...Do I see myself being in the House of Representatives 10 years from now? No, I don't."

Local news station interview walkout

Early on during a local news station interview Blum was asked if he would take donations from Republicans in Iowa City (outside his congressional district), he then abruptly left the interview, taking the minority kids that he used as a background with him. Later when asked about the interview Blum said "that he had agreed to be interviewed by KCRG-TV during a visit to the Dubuque Dream Center that assists lower-income, mostly African American children in the city. He added that the station also wanted to interview his wife, Karen, about being a congressional spouse."

Not following up on his promise of giving half of his salary to charity

Then-candidate Blum pledged to give half of his taxpayer-funded salary to charity unless the federal budget was balanced: "I will lead by example and voluntarily cut my pay by returning half to charities and volunteer organizations in the First District of Iowa". After having been elected, Blum refused to say whether he followed through on his promise. Blum also questioned whether he campaigned on the issue at all: "I don't think I campaigned on it... I have no idea why it’s on the website.” He later said that people did not care about his pledge, "You know how many people have asked me about that in the last 600 days? ... Zero. Zero people care about that."

Personal life

Blum was born and raised in Dubuque, the son of Celeste M. (Van Der Meulen) and Wallace Lee Blum, a World War II veteran. He resides in Dubuque with his wife, Karen, and their five children.